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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750515">Flying in the Face of Fate Season 4</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/muddyevil/pseuds/muddyevil'>muddyevil</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Flying in the Face of Fate [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Flying in the Face of Fate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:33:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,425</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/muddyevil/pseuds/muddyevil</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Meeting the mother in law didn't go... well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Flying in the Face of Fate [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573132</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. What's in a Name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room was uncomfortably hot. The summer in Hyrendell was really starting to kick in, with it’s oppressive heat that pressed into your lungs and made it harder to breathe, made you think hard about the next time you would be able to get a drink. They were inside, away from any kind of direct sunlight, but the heat of it still licked across his skin all the same. Despite his forward planning, the way he deliberately wore light flowing clothing like many of the locals, the heat was still oppressive. It made him concerned about how the height of summer would feel.</p><p>Of course, it wasn’t just the temperature that added to that itching feeling crawling across his skin. Time seemed to stretch out in front of him. It had happened to Caelan a few times before, and each and every time had been worse than this one. He supposed he should, really, be thankful for that. Things could always be much worse.</p><p>Much worse than the way Micah was staring at Lin open mouthed, the way Karsi clasped hold of the elf’s shoulders as if he was the last connection she had to Hiroki. Caelan supposed, in a way, he was. Lin’s wide eyes darting around the room trying to take in all the information, trying to form some sort of a plan going forward.</p><p>Caelan wasn’t one for feeling betrayed in general. He would be honest, it wasn’t something he had actually felt before. He had never really gotten close enough to anyone except Leliana, and she had never betrayed him. Even now, he wasn’t sure that he felt betrayed by Lin.</p><p>Confused, maybe. But not betrayed.</p><p>Despite everything, he knew that Micah would want to ask questions. He also knew that Micah would not be very good at asking those questions, not in any meaningful way anyway. Not if the way his brain was currently buffering had anything to do with it.</p><p>“Why didn’t you tell us? That your sibling was Hiroki?” he finally asked, trying to keep his voice level. Panicking Lin wouldn’t do any good, poor man was already anxious enough with Karsi being here. There was nothing that Caelan wanted less than making him run away.</p><p>That was how Hiroki used to deal with his problems. What if Lin took after him in that regard. That was a thing he was going to have to contend with now, he guessed. Wondering just how many of Hiroki’s eccentricities rubbed off on Lin.</p><p>“I…” Lin started, eyes still locked with Karsi’s the way a deer’s locked with a lion. “I didn’t... “</p><p>“We should go somewhere that isn’t just the foyer.” Karsi added finally, sighing as she pulled Lin into another hug. One more comfortable than desperate, one that was there to comfort. A mother’s hug. “Micah, baby boy, could you please show me where the living room is?”</p><p>That seemed to pull Micah out of his shock, finally snapping his mouth shut with a small nod. Caelan made his way over to Lin slowly, as if he was approaching a spooked animal, resting his hand gently on his elbow.</p><p>Lin leant into it, whether he knew it or not. It was a good sign, at least. That a part of him knew that Caelan was still safe, wasn’t going to hurt him. Caelan wasn’t sure what he would do if Lin didn’t find that sanctuary in him anymore.</p><p>Micah lead them all up the stairs, Lin’s hand finding Caelan and squeezing it as tight as he physically could. Which, in all fairness, wasn’t particularly tight. Karsi’s eyes never stood still as they ascended the staircase, wandering over the gilded banisters and the fancy portraits. Caelan could understand, he really could. Even the simple decor of his families houses had always amazed her. This must have been an entirely different world to her.</p><p>The world that Lin belonged to.</p><p>The world that Hiroki had belonged to.</p><p>That was still baffling to think about. Hiroki had been… a law unto his own. He was always bright, and lively, and far too loud. Caelan couldn’t imagine him in this mansion, at the stuffy formal events that Lin had told him about, or the fancy clothes and uptight traditions that ran alongside lives like these. Hiroki had lied, told them he had been the child of a wealthy merchant, and that had never really seemed right but it seemed closer than this, somehow more believable.</p><p>Would Caelan had ever believed him if he had told the truth about where he came from, or would he have questioned it a lot earlier? He couldn’t tell.</p><p>Lin had dragged him over to the sofa, almost pulling Caelan down onto it as his legs finally gave out and he collapsed onto it. Caelan balanced himself fairly easily, sitting down easily next to him and pulling his hand into his lap.</p><p>Micah took a seat in the sofa opposite him, Karsi sitting just as close to him. Caelan watched Micah’s tail wrap around his mother like it had done since he was a child, a small comfort at odds to the way his ears were almost at his shoulders and his eyes stared big and wide with something Caelan couldn’t name.</p><p>They sat there for a while, no one wanting to speak, no one wanting to rush Lin into something that he was so obviously struggling with. </p><p>For the second time today the world seemed to slow down, the four of them in silence with nothing but their thoughts. A part of Caelan knew that it was somewhat of a bad idea, both Micah and Lin had a tendency to let their thoughts run away with them. </p><p>When Lin finally spoke it was quiet, slow and stilted like he was choosing each individual word carefully and deliberately. But despite the volume, and the tone, it filled the room like it was laced with magic. Everyone who heard it hung on every single word, almost breathing in time as if anything other would break the spell and ruin the moment.</p><p>“His name was Hyroqi. When I was a baby I couldn’t get my mouth around it, so we called him Ro.” Lin started, eyes staring at the floor in front of him instead of meeting anyone’s eyes. </p><p>“Later on, when he went to war, he changed his name. See, he met some humans. Some humans that he was sure would hate him, and who misheard his name the first time he introduced himself. And Ro… Ro was terrified. That if he kept correcting them, they would think less of him, assume he was too high maintenance, too hard to get along with. So he stuck with Hiroki.</p><p>“When we ran away, when we decided to join the war, we weren’t… my father wouldn’t allow it. Ro had been sold to the university as a tactical expert, and I was to stay home to help with the family business. I couldn’t cast magic, why would the army want me? But Ro… Ro knew he would be more useful on the front lines. We had to make sure our father wouldn’t find us, or we would be dragged back kicking and screaming. So we chose a fake surname, Elenwe, and told people we were from a merchant family from the Belleter Forest. It was the middle of wartime, no one cared enough to check. It was… it was supposed to only be temporary, until the end of the war. I never knew, then, that Ro would never come back.”</p><p>It felt like the whole room took a breath. Karsi was staring at Lin, and Caelan wondered if she could work out the humans he was talking about included her. Karsi had never been the smartest woman. It wouldn’t surprise him if she didn’t.</p><p>“I was in charge of a lot of troop movements, deciding where to send soldiers. Ro forced me not to take his life into consideration, to send his company wherever they would be most use and not to worry if it killed him in the process.</p><p>“That was hard. So hard. But I agreed, on a condition. I didn’t want to know the names of anyone else I was sending to their possible deaths. That was how I lived with myself, how I slept at night. If I worked with bigger picture units, pieces on a board, I could do what was best for the war effort. But that meant I didn’t know the names of the new family he found… meant I never knew your names.” He finally sighed, looking up at the three of them.<br/>
“When did you figure it out?” Micah asked, voice far away and unsure as to whether to ask the question they were all thinking. As if by asking, he would somehow ruin something between them.</p><p>“I… I think I’ve known for a while.” Lin sighed, rubbing his thumb over Caelan’s fingers in some attempt to get rid of his nervous energy. “I can’t really pinpoint an exact time. Just this… niggling feeling in the back of my head that I tried my hardest to ignore. I… when you first spoke about the firewalkers, I guess I knew that it was a possibility. It wasn’t a huge unit, what were the chances of there being two sets of people matching that exact description? But I held out hope because… because I didn’t think I could face it. Knowing that you were his. Because…”</p><p>He paused again, looking up at the ceiling, anything to avoid making eye contact. His ears were usually so static, so unexpressive for elf ears, but now they were dropped low to his shoulders and pinned back against his skull. Caelan knew, if he was given the chance, he would be curled up as small as was physically possible, preferably behind something or in a small space.</p><p>“I knew I lied. About his funeral. He was never… He wasn’t there. At his real funeral. Even though now I knew you weren’t there, obviously, you didn’t know he was a Chasso, and I felt guilty about it. I was… for a while I was worried you didn’t know he was dead. And then after that I knew it had gone on too long, and I had no idea how I would bring it up. I couldn’t just… casually do it over dinner, or bring it up in conversation. So I just… left it.</p><p>“It was a bit of a panic when you mentioned Karsi was coming, and it was tempting, then. But I hoped it had been so long that she had forgotten what I looked like. We only met twice, and not for very long, so… I had hoped. I had hoped that she wouldn’t recognise me.”</p><p>“You haven’t aged a day, and I never forget a face.” Karsi replied softly when it was apparent Lin had finished. It was obvious that neither she nor Micah blamed Lin, didn’t hold anything against him for lying. If it could really be called lying. Yes, he had omitted a lot of information, but technically they had never really asked for it, so could he really be blamed?</p><p>“Where is he?” Micah asked, just as quietly, and a deathly silence fell over the room for a moment. “We never… we never got to say goodbye. Never had a proper funeral. Where did you bury him?”</p><p>There were another few moments, another stretch of silence as Lin thought over his words again.</p><p>“I didn’t bury him. He wanted…”</p><p>“He wanted to be set alight and sent over the waterfalls.” Karsi filled in, wrapping her arm around Micah and rubbing his bicep. “We saw a clan, back in the war. Who did the same thing but sent out to sea. He always said he wanted to go over a waterfall. You know… I should have figured out there were no waterfalls in the Belleter.”</p><p>“But there are plenty in Hyrendell.” Lin concluded, with a sad smile. </p><p>Micah’s face was unreadable, torn between a muted happiness that Hiroki had gotten what he wanted and a devastating sadness that he wouldn’t be able to visit the grave of someone so close to him.</p><p>“I have a small memorial. Where I sent him over the edge.” Lin added, obviously seeing the look on Micah’s face. “If you wanted me to take you there. Down by the river at the end of the garden.”</p><p>“That’s where you go when you go for walks in the woods.” Micah said out of nowhere, making Caelan raise an eyebrow. But this wasn’t the place to question why he was asking it.</p><p>“What? Yes.” Lin responded, that same confused expression that Caelan somehow knew was on his own face.</p><p>“I would really appreciate it if you could show me.” Karsi smiled, leaning forward and stretching across the space between them to gently rub Lin’s thigh. </p><p>Lin did nothing but nod. A part of Caelan wondered if he could even speak at all.</p><p> </p><p>The clearing was… beautiful. Caelan had lived here long enough to know that Lin had never really been one for gardening, going to the lengths of hiring druids from a small shop in the centre of town to tend to the plants in the surrounding area. But there was a part of him that knew that Lin wouldn’t let anyone else here. This clearing was Lin’s work, and Lin’s work alone.</p><p>The grass here was well tended, not yellowing at all like the rest of the lawns in the Hyrendell heat. It felt soft under Caelan’s shoes, a different breed of grass that was almost inviting him to walk barefoot through it. It made a lot of sense, Hiroki had always fought barefoot. He had always said it was a cultural thing, something he had learnt from his parents, but that seemed like another lie right now. A small part of Caelan was wanting to remove his own shoes out of reverence anyway. The grass stayed healthy all the way up to the river, where it was replaced by golden sand and beautiful clear waters.</p><p>There were beautiful flowers dotted around, some that Caelan had never seen before. Some looked like small flames, swaying slightly in the breeze and making them look like candles. Some were a shimmering gold, dancing and glittering in the sunlight that filtered it’s way through the canopy above. There were flowers he recognised, too, lavender and daisies and sunflowers reaching up towards the sky.</p><p>But it was the middle of the clearing that drew his attention. That drew everyone’s attention.</p><p>Two curving blades were stuck into the ground close to the river, crossing over close to the bottom. Caelan recognised them as some of the blades that he used most often, curved and gold and sharp enough to slice through a grown man in one swing. It was strange, seeing them not in motion. When he was alive Hiroki would constantly move them, either fiddling with them on his hip or twirling them around to build up magic. They would shift, and glint in the flames that Hiroki blended them with, deadly and beautiful and perfect. It seemed… wrong. Watching them stilled and muted.</p><p>Karsi and Micah were almost gravitated towards them, walking over slowly hand in hand. Caelan stayed back with Lin, his own hand in his, trying to give them some form of privacy. It was true, he missed Hiroki terribly as well, but it seemed like they should have this time to themselves.</p><p>He could see the tears streaming down their cheeks even from here, silently crying over what they had lost almost nine months before. Karsi sank to the ground first, crossing her legs in front of the swords as Micah followed behind her, almost in her lap. His tail was immediately wrapped around her back, pulling her in tight as he leant his head onto her shoulder and his arm followed his tail.</p><p>“Hi, Hiroki.” Karsi said, and she even got to the last syllable before her voice broke. </p><p>“Hey, Hiroki.” Micah followed, and his voice didn’t break solely because he was crying from the start.</p><p>“It’s been… a very long time, hasn’t it?” Karsi continued, resting her head on top of Micah’s easily. “I have missed you… more than words could say. I never thought you would cross to the other side before I did.”</p><p>There was a tug on his hand, and Caelan watched as Lin turned and left the clearing. There was a moment, a moment where he debated which way he should go. In the end he knew that he would rather not leave Lin alone, especially not now, and turned to follow him. </p><p>It had been a hard, difficult day. One that he wished would end, but knew it would stretch on for another few hours or so. All he could do was make sure the rest of it went as smoothly as possible.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Trouble Getting Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They say that getting down from a high place is often the hardest part</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Karsi had been here for five days. It had been chaotic, so much more chaotic than Lin ever would have anticipated. He had planned for the very worst case scenario, which had actually ended in his death. Which at the very least would have been a lot easier, he wouldn’t have had to deal with this. It would all be over, he could sit back in the astral plane and relax.</p><p>Maybe… maybe looking back this was the worst case scenario. This scenario where he had to be completely aware of everything that was happening. This scenario where he had to keep living knowing what he had done.</p><p>It wasn’t like Karsi had specifically made things more difficult for him. She had been treating him like a second child, like he always imagined a more usual mother would treat him. She had offered to cook for him, and taking his food with a smile and with praise. Every morning she would hug him, much to his discomfort, and every night she waved him goodnight before she disappeared to the guest room further down the hall that had been designated as hers. She acted like the last forty years they had kept up with each other, become closer as friends, and while it was nice in a way Lin couldn’t help but constantly wonder if and when it was going to blow up in his face.</p><p>Currently her days had been taken up with wandering the grounds with Micah, catching up as much as they could. Lin had been worried about them wandering any further into the wilderness around the city, knowing the tendency for both bandits and more dangerous wildlife, until Karsi had just laughed and held up her axe to remind him that there was no way that Micah would be in any danger, not while she was around. Karsi would never let Micah get hurt.</p><p>Lin had started to notice how much he missed Micah being around. He loved spending time with Caelan, of course, but the house just seemed… quieter, when Micah wasn’t here. There was no soft, rhythmic tap of his tail against the sofa, no quiet humming that he didn’t realise he was doing. Even when he wasn’t around Lin could often hear his music drifting through from another part of the house, but even that was noticeably absent now. It wasn’t that it had annoyed Lin when he had done it, but the absence was painfully apparent now that it was gone.</p><p>Micah always came back at the end of the day, though, and it wasn’t until he did that Lin panicked that there was a possibility that he wouldn’t. What if his mother was talking about Lin’s back, persuading Micah to come home with her. Each day he would feel his anxiety spike, feel his heart speed up in sheer panic, before Micah came into the room, tugged on the front of his shirt to pull him down into a kiss, and tell him he missed him.</p><p>He had also spent the last five days refusing to sleep, refusing to let the nightmares that he knew would come invade his brain. It wasn’t the longest he had ever been awake, but it was the longest since Caelan had moved in. He could feel his thoughts start to slow down, his movements get even more uncoordinated. A large part of him knew that he couldn’t keep this up forever, that he would have to sleep eventually, but he couldn’t help but think just one more night, one more night without the nightmares. Just a little longer, a little more peace. </p><p>It was becoming apparent that Micah and Caelan had noticed he was refusing to sleep. From all of the coffee in the house going mysteriously missing, to the fact they had taken to suddenly boxing him in in bed every single night. A part of him felt all warm and fuzzy inside, the fact that they cared about him enough to do it, but another part felt nothing but annoyance. Their actions were coming from a good place, sure, but it was forcing him into his own nightmares, forcing him to relive some of the hardest parts of his life.</p><p>And that was where he found himself, Caelan lying to his right, with his leg thrown across Lin’s, and Micah to his left with the entire top half of his body laying on Lin’s chest. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to, trapped here underneath the both of them, and with the lack of caffeine in his system it was getting more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. He would be falling asleep soon, he knew it, and then the nightmares would come.</p><p>Every time he blinked his eyes felt heavier, it got more and more difficult to open them up again. Caelan had started to make the room so dark that even he struggled to see in it. There was nothing to keep his attention, nothing that he could really focus on to stay awake. His entire body felt like lead, and a part of him knew that his mission to keep from falling asleep was going to be over sooner rather than later.</p><p>All he could really hope for, was that the proximity of the two men he loved most in his life would keep the nightmares at bay for tonight.</p><p> </p><p>He had been in his office, when he heard about it first. Of course he had known about the new push out east, he had been one of the ones that had organised it. </p><p>He had also, apparently, failed to properly prepare. If the knowledge that there had been dragons fighting for the enemy was true, and he didn’t see why someone would lie about something like that, then he had been woefully unprepared.</p><p>It was supposed to be an easy push, so quickly after another major battle to give them so little time to prepare. All of the intel he had received had told him that the enemy was still scrambling, still trying to recover from their losses. Lin had argued for a fast retaliation, something to break down their defenses. He had, ultimately, been listened to.</p><p>And if he was thinking big picture, he had been right. Their forces had been able to break through enemy lines, win back more land than they ever had before. The generals were celebrating it as one of the most decisive victory of the war already, and that’s what Lin should be doing right now. Drinking posh wine and eating rare food that the common folk hadn’t seen in the last five years since the war started.</p><p>Lin hated it. It reminded him too much of home, too much of what he had run away from. Which was why, when he heard the news, he was shut away in his office planning the next move.</p><p>The aasimar woman that opened the door looked nervous, and that was something that Lin never thought he would get used to. Sure, he had worked his way up through the ranks, but being called “Sir” still confused him to no end. He was still a child, in Elven society anyway, not that anyone else in the army knew that.</p><p>“We have news, Sir. From the Firewalkers.” she said, ears pulled in tightly to her back in a way Lin was sure designated that she was nervous.</p><p>Lin should have known then. Should have already been up and moving. But he had always been so stupid in the ways that it truly mattered.</p><p>“Are they celebrating after the victory?” he asked, barely even looking up from the notes in front of him. “It’s well deserved.”</p><p>“Well… I’m sure they are. It’s just… we’ve received word from your sibling’s unit. They received a pretty serious injury. They’re in an induced coma, in the medical tent.”</p><p>Time seemed to stretch before Lin’s eyes. Hiroki was… had always been… invincible. Lin had only ever seen him be hit once, and that was entirely Lin’s fault.</p><p>Technically… again this was Lin’s fault.</p><p>It sickened him to think about it.</p><p>He had been up on his feet in seconds, grabbing his coat and heading towards the door. He had no idea how he would get across the the medical tent, he was so far away from the front lines, but he would fucking walk if he had to.</p><p>“Sir? I could send a message back if you wanted me to…” the Aasimar asked, coming further into the room and hovering around him nervously. </p><p>“No need. I’m heading over there right now. I need you to… I need you to find a teleporter. I don’t care where from. Find a teleporter, and give them the co-ordinates of the hospital. I’m heading there straight away.”</p><p>Lin had been in medical tents before, of course he had. It was just… the last time he was admitted as a patient, not a visitor.</p><p>His name and rank got him past most of the guards, got him an immediate audience with one of the doctors, a gnome woman who was currently hurrying down the corridor to show Lin exactly where he needed to go.</p><p>He almost skidded into the room he was shown to, torn between not wanting to see and needing to know what had happened.</p><p>Hiroki was laying in the hospital bed, looking strangely small wrapped in all of the blankets. It looked strange, seeing him so still. Usually he was in constant motion, tapping on surfaces or twirling a blade between his hands. But all Lin could see now, under that raging inferno that he had come to expect of his face, was the slow rise and fall of his chest.</p><p>Two humans flanked either side of him, holding each of his hands in theirs as they leant over him and whispered between themselves. It had been a few years since he had last seen them, the time that they first met. They had aged like humans were want to do, but not as much as Lin might have anticipated.</p><p>Lerendi and Isilde.</p><p>Karsi. A voice in his head supplied. Isilde is called Karsi. </p><p>The name almost split his head in two, and his body tried to tighten in on itself in pain, but it wouldn’t go. He didn’t feel pain the first time he experienced this, so there was no need to react to it. But that didn’t stop the pain that was flowing through him now.</p><p>“What happened to him?” His mouth moved without his permission. He knew where this was going, and he wanted to stop it as long as he could. Maybe today would be the day that he managed to change the events of the nightmares.</p><p>It wasn’t.</p><p>“He took down a Dragon.” Lerendi explained, turning his head slightly to look at Lin. He looked tired. He looked like he had been crying. “He really did win us that battle. But… he didn’t really think about his plan coming back down.” He made a short laugh, rubbing a thumb over the back of Hiroki’s hand gently.</p><p>“Has he woken up? Is he…” Lin asked, hovering close to them and resting a calming hand on Hiroki’s arm next to Karsi’s. Now he was closer he could see the large casts that were wrapped around both of Hiroki’s legs.</p><p>He didn’t really think about his plan coming back down.</p><p>“The doctors say they’re keeping him like this until the pain subsides enough for him to be awake.” Karsi supplied, both of her hands wrapped around one of Hiroki’s so completely that Lin couldn’t see them. “How they know when that is, I don’t fucking know.”</p><p>Lin sighed, stepping closer and pushing some hair out of Hiroki’s face where it had grown longer again. It wasn’t often he let it grow this long, and Lin wondered why he had this time.</p><p>“Okay, well. I’m here now. So you two can leave.” Lin finally said, sighing as he watched Hiroki’s eyelids flutter as his eyes moved behind them. Hopefully his dreams were sweet.</p><p>“What the fuck are you talking about? We’re staying.” Karsi suddenly spoke, and it made Lin turn around to look her in the eye. She hadn’t even offered up her chair for him.</p><p>“You’re not needed anymore. I’m here, I’m his family. The two of you can leave.” Lin explained slowly, he had been told Kars wasn’t the smartest but this was something else.</p><p>“We’re his family too, we’re fucking staying.” Karsi replied, standing up. Up close, Lin could see that she was almost as tall as he was.</p><p>“Let me put it this way, then.” Lin said easily, drawing himself up to his full height and staring Karsi down. “Either you leave this room of your own volition, or I will use my rank to make you leave.”</p><p>The part of Lin that was aware, the part that remembered this happening, tried to duck. But in real time, in the time where this actually happened, he didn’t see the headbutt coming until it had smashed into his nose.</p><p> </p><p>There was another second, another moment where Lin’s world shifted entirely. His position changed, the entire time changed, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He had assumed that he would get used to it eventually, the amount of times these nightmares shifted his perspective, but he never had.</p><p>He found himself sitting in a chair at the side of Hiroki’s bed, eyes closed and trying to ignore the pain throbbing in his nose. It had been patched up, at least, from where Karsi had broken it but he had refused any magical healing. He had been hurt by healing spells far too often to risk it now, for something so small.</p><p>The two humans had been escorted from the room by one of the higher ups, Lerendi going quietly and willingly but Isilde - Karsi - Isilde fighting every second of the way. A part of Lin wondered whether he needed to feel bad, using his power above them to force them out of the room with Hiroki, but no. He wanted, no, needed to be in here alone. Him and his sibling, just like the old days.</p><p>Hiroki started to stir slowly, more decisively than the many other times he had during the last few days Lin had been in there. Lin sat up, taking one of Hiroki’s hands in his to let him know that he was there, that he was being supported this whole time.</p><p>His eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times as he tried to take everything in. Lin looked back, a small smile on his face as he waited for his sibling to talk.</p><p>“What happened to your nose?”</p><p>Lin sighed, coming back to rest his head on Hiroki’s chest. He felt Hiroki’s hand in his, squeezing in tightly.</p><p>“One of your pet humans did it.”</p><p>The words took a few seconds to sink in, and Lin watched as Hiroki’s eyes grew dark, ears dropping down almost to his shoulders. His voice dropped low, almost a growl as he heard an angry purr start to rip from his chest.</p><p>“What the fuck did you just say?”</p><p>Lin lifted his head, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Hiroki’s eyes were the same bright red as his, but he could see them filled with hatred.</p><p>“They were in here when I arrived, and they refused to leave even after I pulled rank and she fucking attacked me.”</p><p>Hiroki couldn’t help but rip his hand out of his brother’s, shoving his chest so he slipped off the bed. Lin looked back at him from the chair, heart breaking all over again. It was the first real time that Hiroki had ever pushed him away.</p><p>“They’re not fucking pets, Lin. They’re human. They have just as much of a right to be in here as you do.” Hiroki’s voice was escalating, getting louder and louder, and the hair on the back of Lin’s head started to bristle, his own ears pinning back the louder it got.</p><p>Lin’s back had straightened as soon as Hiroki started shouting. He’d always hated shouting, whenever anyone shouted it was almost like a gut reaction that he shouted back. He had always had the softest voice out of everyone in the family, but when he yelled boy could he yell.</p><p>“They’re just some humans, they’re going to be dead in a couple of decades if they even make it through the war. I’m family, Hiroki. I’m your brother.”</p><p>Hiroki narrowed his eyes, scoffing at the comments he had made. He pulled at the bandages across his chest down, showing Lin the very top of what looked like a tattoo stretching across the entirity of his pecs. Lin could see flames that flickered magically as if they were real, the top of an axe, a shield, and the distinctive handle of one of Hiroki’s favourite blades.</p><p>One of the blades he got buried with something told Lin, but it sent a shot of pain stabbing through his brain.</p><p>“Lerendi and Isilde are more family than you will ever be. Just because we share the same blood doesn’t mean you’re more entitled to me than they are. But I understand you don’t have any friends, so you wouldn’t know what I mean.”</p><p>And that was it. He had come too far to go back now. As soon as the hurt expression crossed his face it disappeared again, replaced with nothing but anger as Lin gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw.</p><p>“I have friends.”</p><p>It was a ridiculous argument, and Lin knew it, and tried to add more, but Hiroki refused to let him.</p><p>“Name one. Name one friend that isn’t someone that only likes you for the money or influence you can give them.”</p><p>He raised his eyebrows at the younger elf, who simply stared back at him. It was an almost impossible task, and Hiroki knew that because before Karsi and Davos he would never have been able to name one either. The part of Lin that was partially aware seized up in fear. He knew exactly what was coming next.</p><p>“Exactly. That’s just another failure. How long is your list getting?”</p><p>Lin’s ears drooped for a fraction of a second before they snapped back to normal. Lin had always been much better at hiding the emotions through his ears than Hiroki had. He scowled, trying to draw himself up to his full height. It may have worked if it had been anyone other than Hiroki. </p><p>“You sound exactly like Arata.”</p><p>Hiroki scrunched his face together. That was a hell of an insult. But he had always been the only person who had ever stood a chance in a verbal battle against Lin.</p><p>“Yeah, well you sound like Dad with all your human bullshit.”</p><p>Lin’s eyes narrowed again, and he started to swear in Elvish. He had always hated being told he was like their father. It had never changed, even in these thirty years since the memory first happened.</p><p>“Why are you doing this? The past four years I’ve been doing nothing but trying to keep you safe.”</p><p>Hiroki couldn’t help barking out a laugh, coughing when it hurt his lung. Lin couldn’t even find it in him to be worried about it.</p><p>“You’re trying to keep me safe? Thay had a dragon, Lin! How the fuck did you miss them having a motherfucking dragon? You wanna hear sounding like Arata? You’re fucking useless, Lin. Go home.”</p><p>Tears started falling from both of their eyes, but they were more from anger than sadness. Lin screamed in almost primal rage, turning around to clear one of the tables in the room before storming to the door.</p><p>“You know what, Hyroqi? Fine. Fucking die then. I’m going to go home. Take on the responsibility you were supposed to have. And I’m going to fucking flourish. Just watch me.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. One Long Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hiroki and Karsi do some catching up</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Micah and Karsi had fallen into a pretty solid routine, since Karsi had arrived. It was the same rough schedule that they had had before Micah had moved out. Karsi would get up, far too early in the morning, and go and do her morning exercises while Micah lazed around in bed. They would meet up for breakfast, and talk about their plans for the day. They would go their seperate ways, meet up again at lunch to catch up with each other, and then disappear until the end of the day.</p><p>Today was one of the rare days that neither of them had anything going on, nothing to distract them from each other. So they spent the day in the garden, lounging around next to the pool and just… talking.</p><p>It was something that Micah had definitely missed, in the time he had been away. Being able to talk about nothing of consequence, just easy talking about whatever came to his mind at the time. He could do it with Lin and Caelan, of course, but there was something different about doing it with his Mum, something sweeter, something that made his heart light up in a way that no one else could. With everyone else he felt bad about his incessant need to fill every silence with his chattering, he knew that his mother was fine with hearing him talk for however long as he could talk for.</p><p>The conversation had, like it had done often for the last while, turned to Hiroki. About their memories. It often resulted in talking about the happy times, trying to honour his memory through happiness, but today…</p><p>For some reason today he was feeling something much less upbeat.</p><p>“Do you think he’d be mad at me?” he asked quietly, after a few moments of silence. Karsi turned to look at him, watching him for a second. Micah swore that he could hear the cogs turning in her brain, but whether she was trying to think of an honest answer or a way to placate him, make him feel better.</p><p>“I don’t think he ever got mad at you, baby boy, not really.” Karsi said seriously, reaching over to take Micah’s hand and squeeze it reassuringly. Micah’s face fell, his ears going along with them as his tail wrapped around his own leg tightly.</p><p>“He did get mad at me, Mama.” he almost whined, wriggling over to sit closer to her. “Can you not remember that time when I almost made him leave forever? And the two of you fought, like really fought, and then he left and he didn’t come back for a whole year because I made him mad.” he said, words getting faster and faster as he got more and more nervous as to what the reply would be.</p><p>Karsi sighed quietly, scooching closer to wrap and arm around Micah’s back carefully. “Because you were a teenager, going through the same hormonal problems that all teenagers go through. But Hiroki… I’m sure he ever left being a teenager. Even when he died I’m sure he still had the hormones of a teenager. So… No. I don’t think he was mad at you. Not for long anyway. And yes, it was a year, and yes it was a long time, but it was the same time that the army made a big push over in the east. He wasn’t going to be able to go back for a while. It was unfortunately timed, but it wasn’t your fault baby boy.”</p><p>Micah sighed, leaning his head over onto Karsi’s shoulder.</p><p>He remembered the day easily. Hiroki had been gone… longer than he had been before. Micah had hit an age where he had finally started accepting himself for being him, found a tutor that offered to teach him how to play the lute, and the magic that came with it easily.</p><p>His tutor, he realised, had been more of a father than Hiroki had ever been.</p><p>Not that Hiroki had ever been his father. He definitely wasn’t biologically, and he wasn’t by name either. But that didn’t stop Micah from pretending, from lying in bed with his Mum at night and wondering just how nice it would be. All the times he had dreamt of Hiroki coming home, scooping him up into a hug, kissing his forehead and telling him he was sorry, that he was home for good now, and that Micah could call him Dad, if he really wanted.</p><p>And then Hiroki would come back, and he would stay a few days, and it was nice, sure. He would certainly treat Micah like his own child, bring him back presents and take him for treats. But Micah couldn’t help but slowly notice that he did the same for Caelan, and Caelan’s cousins, and even Leliana. And then when Maria came along she was just as spoilt.</p><p>And slowly he realised that this was just how Hiroki treated everyone, there was nothing at all special about Micah.</p><p>And then at the end of the week, or the month if they were lucky, Hiroki would hug his mother, and kiss her on the cheek, and he would leave again. Walk off into the garden, and teleport out of there with one last display of fireworks which was meant to distract Micah from him leaving.</p><p>But then that one day, that one day Hiroki had knocked on the door and Micah was through with it. He had been gone for six months, six long months where Micah had come to realise that he didn’t need Hiroki. He didn’t need a Dad. His Mum was all that he needed, no one else.</p><p>So when he heard that knock, that specific knock that he knew was Hiroki, he made sure he got to the door before his Mum did.</p><p>Hiroki had been stood outside, with the same stupid smile he always had. He was wearing what he called his travelling clothes, a tattered gold doublet over a long flowing skirt, the jewelerry on his face always multiplying from visit to visit. The bag slung over his shoulder would have excited Micah when he was younger, there would be presents in there. But now he was older, and he couldn’t be fucking bought with tiny little trinkets Hiroki no doubt picked up without a second thought.</p><p>“Who are you?” he asked deadpan, and he knew he had gotten better at lying, gotten better at the performance of it.</p><p>A smile spread Hiroki’s face. Sure he was technically smart, but he could be so fucking dumb as well. He thought this was game.</p><p>“Well, hello there. I’m here to see your mother. Is she in?” he teased, both of his ears twitching in a way that made his jewellery chime melodically.</p><p>“She is.” Micah said, and saw Hiroki open his mouth to reply before Micah interrupted him. “But she doesn’t want to see you. Goodbye.”</p><p>And he slammed the door in Hiroki’s face.</p><p>It had started a storm almost instantly.</p><p>He hadn’t been lying, Karsi was in, and she had been chuckling throughout their whole charade. Until the door had slammed closed.</p><p>“Micah!” she had almost shouted, and it made him jump in surprise. His Mama never shouted. She never even raised her voice at him. “What did you do that for? That wasn’t nice.”</p><p>Micah couldn’t help it, he backed away from the door as his mother stood up, ears pinning back in pure fear as his tail wrapped around his leg. She had stormed over, passing right beside him to leave the house.</p><p>In the small amount of time he could see through before it swung shut, he could see that Hiroki had already started to leave, heading back along the long winding path to their house. He caught a glimpse of Karsi following him, calling out his name.</p><p>They shouted. They argued. It was something that Micah hadn’t heard before, as he sat in the kitchen with his arms wrapped around his knees, hiding his face.</p><p>He couldn’t hear exact words, but he heard the anger in them. He heard one or two phrases pop up, and each one he instantly wished he hadn’t.<br/>“He doesn’t love me anymore, Karsi, why should I stay?”</p><p>“He’s a teenager, Hiroki, he’s just as hormonal as you are.”</p><p>“I knew this time would come”</p><p>“If you walk away, that’s it, there’s no coming back”</p><p>“Well, he obviously wants me gone.”</p><p> </p><p>Hiroki hadn’t come back. Not for a year. Karsi had returned a few minutes later, walking back into their house and looking at Micah with tears in her eyes. She said nothing as she picked him up, pulling him into a hug and burying her face between his horns.</p><p>They had never spoken about it again. Hiroki ignored it had ever happened when he came back, and the two of them had as well. It was as if it had all been a bad dream that Micah once had.</p><p>He had almost, almost managed to pass it off as all a bad dream as well, until he had just brought it up, and Karsi had seemed to remember it.</p><p>Micah took a few deep breaths, leaning into the hand that Karsi was rubbing on his arm. His tail slowly unwrapped from around himself, and finally wrapped itself back around Karsi. It was a good sign. It told him that he would be okay, that the panic attack he felt welling up in his chest was already fading.</p><p>“I… Mama?” he asked, lifting his head and turning it to look at her. She wasn’t crying, not outwardly, but Micah had long since learned the face that she wore when she was trying desperately to hold in tears.</p><p>“Yes, baby boy?” she asked, reaching over to stroke some hair out of his face, and tuck it gently behind one of his horns.</p><p>“Do you think… Do you think he knew that I love him?” he asked, voice small and meek, and in that moment he was twelve again, sat in his kitchen with his head in his hands, hearing the two people who meant the most to him in the whole world argue because of him.</p><p>“Of course he did.” Karsi replied, and it was instantaneous. There was no time for her to think of what the best thing to say to him would be, and Micah knew that it must have come from the heart. “He knew you loved him, and he loved you. Even when he… You know even when he left it was to give you space. He loved you, and didn’t want to upset you any more. But… for all of his magic, and all of his booksmarts, and all the times he thought that he knew everything, he had a distinct knack of making things so much worse.”</p><p>Micah couldn’t help but laugh at that, an ugly laugh that came out half as a sob. “Yeah, yeah he did do that.”</p><p>They sat in silence for a short while, nothing but the bird song and the soft chirps of crickets filling the air.</p><p>“Mama, did you love him?” Micah asked finally, almost as quiet as the crickets. </p><p>"What? Yes. Of course I did. Just like I love Davos, and Sahuna, and Keit, and Benjen, and…" she started, but Micah simply fixed her with a glare. </p><p>"That's not what I meant, Mama. And you know it."</p><p>Karsi sighed, looking away from Micah off into the garden, and Micah swore she was looking off towards Hiroki's memorial. </p><p>"I did. I fell in love with him… before you were born. Before I was pregnant with you. And I'm not smart, I know, but I knew he was in love with me too." She sighed, pulling Micah a little closer. "But he… he had told me. Not to me, not specifically pointing me out, but he had always said. He always told us that his father would choose a wife for him, and he could never go against that. So… I steeled my heart away, looked for someone else to give it to, and then I had you and you were the only one who was really deserving of every ounce of my love.”</p><p>Micah paused for a long moment, unsure what to say. He tilted his head to rest on her shoulder, wrapping his arm around her into a tight hug and holding her close, trying to give some of the comfort he had taken back to her.</p><p>It was an odd experience, seeing his mother upset. He was twenty-eight years old, and whereas she had always told him it had been important to be open with his emotions, he could count the number of times he had saw her really cry on one hand. He wanted to comfort her, but he was realising now that he had no idea how. </p><p>“Micah, do you think what he said was true? That his father would be choosing who he was going to marry, that he would kill anyone he fell in love with that he didn’t agree with?” she asked, looking over at him. He had no idea whether she was asking him just in general, or whether she thought that his relationship with Lin would give him a bigger idea about what his father would have been like.</p><p>“I… Lin doesn’t talk about his father very often. I guess… if you had just lost him so recently you wouldn’t want to either, but… I don’t think he was the nicest of men. Lin told him he always told him he was a failure, that he ruined his life. So I really… really wouldn’t put it past him to tell Hiroki that. Would he go so far as to kill anyone that Hiroki fell in love with? I don’t know. But…” He paused for a moment, looking down at his feet as he sighed heavily. “I don’t know if knowing the answer would make things any better, Mama. Either he would have killed you, and nothing really changes, or he wouldn’t have killed you and you realise that Hiroki was lying to you and he never loved you in the first place.”</p><p>Karsi paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. For a moment Micah worried that he had done nothing but make things worse, managed to upset her even more, but in the end she simply opened her eyes and smiled again.</p><p>“You know what, I think he would enjoy this. Enjoy all the drama he was causing, even after he died.” she chuckled.</p><p>“The drama, yes, but he would hate to see you cry, Mama, you know that.” Micah added, but even he managed to break a small smile.</p><p>“Back at home, we always said that no one truly died until you stopped talking about them. So maybe, from now on, we keep talking about him. About the happy memories we have?” Karsi said quietly, turning her head to look at him. </p><p>Micah just nodded, leaning into her again with a warm purr. “Yeah. I think we could do that. And keep causing drama in his name, huh?”</p><p>Another laugh, one that Micah echoed easily. </p><p>“Yes. I know he would like that.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. It's not you, it's me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Micah is really, really bad at break ups</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This had been planned for a few weeks, and Micah had to admit that he had almost forgotten about it. It definitely didn’t cross his mind when he invited his Mama to come and stay, and it was only a few days ago that he remembered and instantly panicked.</p><p>He definitely couldn’t invite her to a semi-date-semi-breaking-up-with-a-hookup. It was a weird enough situation as it was, without adding a parent into it. But on the other hand, he also didn’t want to abandon Karsi for a day.</p><p>In the end, like she often did, Karsi sorted it all out easily. She pulled him over into a hug, kissing his forehead gently before fussing his hair that he had just spent all morning getting perfect.</p><p>“I’ve been meaning to have a walk around the city anyway. Not that I don’t love walking around with you, of course, but this way I can go at my own pace.” she teased, and Micah made sure to look up at her in an exaggurated pout. He knew she didn’t mean any harm, that she didn’t mean to be cruel, but it was always fun to pull a cute face and help her realise that the joke she had made landed correctly.</p><p>They had walked into the city together, anyway, Micah almost skipping along next to her as she walked. Her greataxe was still strapped across her back, no matter how much Micah insisted that it really wasn’t necessary in a place like this. “You never know what’s around the next corner.” she had responded, reaching up to tap the head of the axe with a soft smile. Micah knew it was a saying passed down generations, and there was no chance of changing her mind on it now.</p><p>It was also why he had taught himself to cast using his voice, as well as his lute. Not that he would ever admit that. Then he would never be able to get his mother to shut up.</p><p>They had parted ways in the main square, Micah hugging Karsi close for a moment, and agreeing they would see each other back at the house before dark. Not that Micah didn’t trust Karsi could take care of herself after dark, he was just worried about anyone who might be stupid enough to start fighting with Karsi. He didn’t want to have to deal with her killing a load of people in a strange town, or put that responsibility on Lin.</p><p>He had agreed to meet his definitely not date in a cafe just off the main square, and made his way over there quickly. He wasn’t late, but Micah had always liked being on time, and to turn up late today would just seem rude. So he easily wove his way through the busy streets - it looked like the sun was bringing people out in droves - before he ducked into the cafe.</p><p>A quick glance around told him that she wasn’t there just yet, and so he managed to squeeze his way to the last table in the corner, waving to the half-elf behind the counter as he did. They waved back, Micah had been in here many times before with Lin and Caelan, so even though they weren’t on first name terms they definitely knew his face.</p><p>Luckily it wasn’t that long after he had sat down that he heard someone call his name, making him look up from the menu and over to the door.</p><p>Sarita was wearing slightly more conservative clothes than the last time he had seen her, a long flowing skirt around her waist and a long sleeved croptop that covered all but the smallest strip of skin across her stomach. He stood up to wave to her, watching her weave her way through the tables towards him.</p><p>As soon as she was close enough he pulled her into a hug, tail thrashing excitedly behind him as he did. Even though he wasn’t really looking for a romantic or sexual relationship with her, he definitely still wanted to keep the friendship there if he could.</p><p>“Lunch is on me today, what do you want?” he asked as they sat down back down, passing the menu over to her with a grin as he got himself situated, pulling one foot up under the opposite leg and wriggling to let his tail free from underneath him.</p><p>Once they had ordered he made sure to take a deep breath, sipping his coffee before sitting back to look at her.</p><p>“So. I needed to talk to you about something.” he started, putting his coffee down and watching her carefully over it.</p><p>“Oh?” she asked, still bright with the very tips of her ears twitching in curiousity. “Is that why you brought me here, to give me bad news?”</p><p>Micah laughed brightly, ears dropping a little. She saw through him much easier than he thought </p><p>“Well… maybe? It’s more of a… I’ve really enjoyed this, doing this, with you. It’s just… I’m in a relationship now, and so I really can’t pursue this one? As much as I have been, but I still…”</p><p>“Wow, are you about to pull the ‘we can still be friends’ on me, Micah?” Sarita teased, but her face told him that it was all in jest. “But that’s great! I’m happy for you, I really am. Who’s the lucky person, anyone I know?”</p><p>Micah let out a sigh of relief that he never even knew he had been holding, laughing brightly and relieved.  </p><p>“I was, in fact, about to let’s just be friends you. But I really do want to, if you’re okay with that.” he started, before he started to almost bounce in place. This had gone better than he ever could have anticipated. “And yes, actually. It’s Lin.” </p><p>Sarita’s eyes widened with genuine surprise, and Micah suddenly panicked that he wasn’t supposed to be telling people about their relationship. He was sure Lin was out, he had mentioned it, right? More than once. His ears automatically dropped out of fear, a pure panic that he had just done something… so horrible.</p><p>“You’re dating the cult member? Does that mean you’ve become part of the cult as well?” Sarita asked, and Micah let out a relieved breath. She wouldn’t be acting like this, joking around like this, if he had just outed him.</p><p>It had been a joke they had been having for a while, that Lin was part of some evil cult that met in the woods at night. It was stupid, and childish, and obviously not true, but it was an incredibly fun inside joke anyway.</p><p>“Oh yeah, forgot to tell you I’m a member of the evil cult now, sorry.” Micah joked back, and Sarita hid her face behind her hand as she laughed.  </p><p>“Well, remind me never to follow you into the woods at night in case I get recruited as well.” she grinned, before taking Micah’s hand in hers gently. “But in all seriousness, Micah. I’m happy for you. But if he ever hurts you, I am going to hurt him back.”</p><p>And Micah couldn’t help but laugh brightly at that. Yes, Lin was useless and wouldn’t stand a chance against anyone, but from what he had seen of Sarita she was a sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly.</p><p>“Honestly, Sarita, I think you would really like him. You both love your books, and music, and going on a tangent about something for hours at a time. I could introduce you to him, if you would like? I’m sure you would both get along like a house on fire.”</p><p>Sarita hummed quietly, as if she was really thinking about it. After a few moments she shrugged a little, bringing her hands back towards her so she could drink her milkshake.</p><p>“Maybe, but don’t you think that it might be a little awkward, what with me being an acolyte for the temple that he shunned? It might sour the relationship a little, no?” she mused, before  sticking the straw back in her mouth to take another long sip.</p><p>And that made Micah hum a little. He was pretty sure that Lin wouldn’t write her off entirely just because of the God she worshipped, he didn’t seem like that kind of a person, but then again Lin really didn’t seem to him like the kind of person who would completely abandon and possibly anger one of the Gods. That was an incredibly stupid decision, and Lin wasn’t a stupid person. </p><p>“Well, how about we don’t tell him you’re an acolyte for Einke? He doesn’t need to know, and that will take away the possibility of him turning on you for it. Although, trust me, Reets, he’s a sweetheart. He really wouldn’t judge you for it.” he made sure to add, wanting to make sure he didn’t put across the wrong impression of Lin from the start.</p><p>“I think… I would be more comfortable for not telling him about my profession.” Sarita laughed, nodding to herself a little. “I can just tell him I’m a librarian. It’s technically true, after all.”</p><p>“Wow, I’m telling you, two nerds like you? You’re going to get along like a house on fire.”</p><p> </p><p>It seemed like only a few minutes after she had walked into the cafe she was leaving again. Sarita had honestly meant what she said, she was fine with a continuing friendships with Micah. He was fun, and bright, and… Okay, she would be lying if a small part of her wasn’t concerned about what Lin Chasso could do to him. </p><p>She had already lost a friend to the monster on the hill, she couldn’t bear to lose another.</p><p>She spotted Jun coming the other way as she made her way to the temple, waving excitedly and breaking into a jog to meet him. He simply raised an eyebrow at her, but let her fall into step with him easily. </p><p>“How did your spying mission go?” she asked brightly, just to have Jun shush her and look over his shoulder as if there was someone following him.</p><p>“Sarita, shut up.” he hissed through his teeth, quickening his pace up the road to the temple. Sarita rolled her eyes, having to almost jog to catch up with him.</p><p>“Jun, slow down. You’ve got longer legs than me. And you know we’re not really spies, right? No one cares. Micah headed back home, and was sure that is mother would too. And she really doesn’t seem like the kind of person to be able to sneak up on us. She looks as bulky as you.”</p><p>Jun let out an annoyed breath, but at least he slowed down as he looked down at Sarita with a frown. </p><p>“But still, we shouldn’t talk about it out in the open. Wait til we’re inside, with Aire, and then I’ll tell you everything.”</p><p> </p><p>“So she’s his Mum?” Aire asked curiously, ears already perked up. They were back to sitting in the attic, this time all cross legged in a circle on the cushions that Sarita had smuggled up there to save her knees. </p><p>“She is.” Sarita replied, pulling some of the takeaway food that Micah had insisted on buying her out of her bag to share around. “Her name is Karsi. She’s Micah’s mother and knew the oldest Chasso sibling from the war. Micah talks a lot. Get him started and you can’t stop him.”</p><p>“Sibling?” Aire asked, ears perking up in interest. “I thought they were all boys?”</p><p>Sarita shook her head, laying the food out in front of her. “All assigned male at birth, yes. Hiroki was genderfluid, apparently. Not out to his family but out everywhere else. Didn’t like being called a brother.”</p><p>Aire nodded in understanding, before looking over to Jun. He was eying up the food being laid out, but wasn’t making a move to eat any just yet. </p><p>“His mother - Karsi, was it? - spent the entire day walking around the markets. Didn’t seem to spend much money, just taking everything in. She did buy some lunch down in the poorer district, and threw some money to some of the beggars out there. And then got some things from the herb stand but I didn’t quite see what. And then after a while she headed back up towards the estate. Didn’t really see anything suspicious, apart from it doesn’t seem she’s leeching off the Chasso riches the way that Micah is.” he ended, sounding somewhat disappointed he didn’t manage to find out any more information.</p><p>“He’s not leeching off the Chasso riches.” Sarita interrupted, shooting Jun a look. “He’s dating Lin, and that obviously gives him priviledges.”</p><p>She paused as both Aire and Jun looked at her, and she couldn’t figure out why for a moment, before…</p><p>“Oh… I buried the lead there a little, didn’t I?”</p><p>“Just a little, Reets!” Jun exclaimed, ears pinning back. “What do you mean he’s dating Lin?”</p><p>“Well, dating is a thing where…”</p><p>“I know what dating is, Sarita. I’m just saying we’re sending you to meet up with a psychopath’s boyfriend! That’s going to stop right now!” Jun continued, bristling with what Sarita tried to tell herself was concern.</p><p>“I’m positive he doesn’t know anything about it.” Sarita insisted, taking a bite out of one of the cakes he had bought her. “He started off joking about him being in a cult, and he still does, and I am sure he wouldn’t do that if there was a risk I would start to actually believe it. If there was a chance that it would bring heat onto him. Add to that that I’m pretty sure if he wanted to manipulate me he would have kept taking me to bed, not break it off and friendzone me. And anyway, he’s invited me back to go meet him.”</p><p>“What?” Jun shouted, and it made Sarita roll her eyes. “Absolutely not. No way. You’re not going in there. That’s how we lost Gar, and we’re not losing you too.”</p><p>Sarita opened her mouth to reply, before Aire got there before her.</p><p>“Unless... “ she started, looking up at Sarita with a quiet hum. “Reets. Do you feel safe going in there? Do you honestly trust this Micah, with your life.”</p><p>Sarita thought for a moment, about the way Micah smiled, the way he spoke about his mother, the upbeat way he seemed to live life.</p><p>“I do, Aire. Completely.” she responded honestly.</p><p>Aire took a moment, looking down at the floor as she debated. Sarita had never see her so conflicted, and she didn’t know if she ever wanted to see her like this again.</p><p>“Then I believe we may have our offer for the Drachs.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, what?” Jun spluttered, seemingly lost for words for the first time in his life. Sarita wasn’t quite sure if she enjoyed it. Maybe if the subject matter was less serious she would hold it over him the next time he was being smug.</p><p>“The upper classes run on information, and on the rumour mills. And there is no one on this planet who controls more of those rumours, and that information, than Albion Drach. If we told him that we had a direct line into the Chasso household? Well… that could be a powerful bargaining tool.” she explained, and Sarita and Jun looked between each other.</p><p>“Or it could get us all killed.” Jun pointed out, but he already knew he had lost the battle. Because Aire was right, giving the Drach’s a line into the incredibly private Chasso mansion could be worth all of the information they could ever possibly dream of.</p><p>“All of this could get us all killed.” Aire sighed, leaning to pick up one of the quite frankly ridiculous finger sandwiches that Sarita had brought back with her. “We’re already a man down. We owe it to him to at least make sure that his life wasn’t in vain.”</p><p>Jun sighed, looking up into the vaulted ceiling as if he had a direct connection to Einke from there.</p><p>“Okay. Give me some time. I’ll figure out how to get in touch with them. But… this seems like a terribly bad idea.”</p>
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